


Beauty Lays Behind The Hills

by sn00dle_noodle



Category: Video Blogging RPF, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Blood, Boom Boom - Freeform, Explosions, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Sad Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot Needs a Hug, Wilbur Soot-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sn00dle_noodle/pseuds/sn00dle_noodle
Summary: SPOILERS FOR 16.11.2020 STREAMWilbur always used to have trouble falling asleep when he was younger, so Phil would sing him songs.This time, it wasn't sleep Wilbur needed help with, more like staying awake.Or,Two times (out of many) that Phil sung Wilbur to sleep.Song by: WoodkidSong: Run Boy Run
Relationships: In a fatherly way!, Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 84





	Beauty Lays Behind The Hills

**Author's Note:**

> I had to change some of the lines and added some new ones, you will probably be able to see where I added them!  
> This is going to be sad.  
> That's all.

When Wilbur was just a kid, he could never get to sleep properly.

He either needed one of his brother's with him, or Phil. The boy would never really sleep alone because of the nightmares that plagued his mind. Just someone being there made _them_ calm down. A coping mechanism he had taken up was to play his guitar. He had never taken any interest until the nightmares. That was the only good thing about having them. Although, he probably would've got bored some day and ended up trying it out anyway, so actually there was no good things about having nightmares. But Will hated seeming needy and like he was doing it for the sake of attention. He's not like that, not Wilbur Soot.

So tonight, he would sleep alone. He wouldn't ask for someone to come in his room with him, this is _his_ time to do something for himself.

It didn't go as well as he thought it would.

Wilbur couldn't sleep until the late night and even when he did fall asleep, they found him again.

"Dad?" Will called out walking around the camp. It was very dark around and he normally lost track of where Phil slept. He spun around, looking everywhere he could, "Dad!" He shouted. 

The nightmares had came back again. They had been on and off for a while, he was getting angry now. It was just so annoying waking up every night thinking creatures were coming to get you, coming to _take_ you.

"Phil!"

The man bolted out of his room to see his son standing in the middle of their camp. 

"What's wrong buddy?" He asked, kneeling down on the grass so he was around the same height, "Another nightmare?"

"N-no."

It was blatantly obvious that the child had, had a nightmare, but Phil didn't want to bring it up at the moment.

He stood up and ruffled the boy's hair as he cried. Will swatted his hand away before grabbing the bottom of Phil's sleeve, "I'm not leaving, Will." The boy continued to hold it tightly, rubbing his eyes in the process, "Come on, let's go to your room." 

"I don't wanna." Wilbur pouted, standing in place.

"My room then?"

The kid nodded, moving to hold his father's hand tightly.

When they were in the man's room, the two sat on his bed, Wilbur hugging him from his lap.

"You wanna tell me about it?"

"No."

He rubbed circles on his kid's back, what should he say? He's dealt with this enough, but honestly, he was worried for Wilbur. Of course he was before, but now this was becoming a common event. It shouldn't happen this often. 

"You sure?" He didn't want to push Will, but he was genuinely intrigued- maybe intrigued wasn't the right word, or maybe it was.

"It's always the same."

Phil stayed silent, "They just want my blood... I-I don't want them to take me, Dad." He said with fresh tears welling in his eyes.

"They won't take you, they never will. They just want to scare you, but you're too brave for them!"

Wilbur giggled a little, "I guess I am pretty brave."

"Of course you are!"

The boy smiled lightly with his head against his father's shoulder.

"They're so... weird."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I can only see their- their red eyes, the rest is just a figure."

"We'll do something to make them go away, I don't know what, but I'll help you. For now though, you need some sleep."

Will sighed, "Okay."

"How's about I sing you a song?"

"Yeah!" He exclaimed in a tired manner.

" _Run boy run. This world is not made for you_  
 _Run boy run. They're trying to catch you-_

Wilbur feels like he can relate to this song already.

_"Run boy run. Running is a victory_  
 _Run boy run. Beauty lays behind the hills-_

Was this a metaphor or an actual statement?

" _Run boy run. The sun will be guiding you_  
 _Run boy run. They're dying to stop you_ "

This had to be about him- but by the time he had thought about that, Wilbur was asleep in his father's arms.

Phil sighed, gently laying himself down in a more comfortable way. Wilbur sleeping by his right side, hugging the arm the was wrapped around him.

Maybe tonight would be a good night, maybe his son wouldn't wake up. Now that would be good.

He can't remember a time when Wilbur hadn't woke up in the night, either crying or just scared. His son shouldn't have to go through this... a child his age shouldn't have bags under his eyes that look almost black.

The man ran a hand through Will's hair, kissing his forehead.

"What am I going to do with you?" 

With that, Phil closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

_:)_

Even when Wilbur grew older, he could never get to sleep properly.

"Whenever I'm here, I'm reminded of the song scribbled on the walls." He spoke out loud to himself. 

"You know, there once _was_ a special place. There was- was a special place." The man started speaking the lyrics of the song, "Where men could go and emancipate, you know... there definitely was that special place did exist once."

"It did- _it did_."

He whipped a hand across his face, sweat beading at his temples, "But even- I- even with Tubbo in charge... I don't think it can exist again."

That was a pretty hard thing to say. He didn't know why, but it hurt.

Honestly he had no idea why he was talking to himself, but he quite liked it. Maybe he'd carry it on after if he was still alive after the explosion. 

"I don't think it can exist again."

Tears crowded in his eyes although he didn't feel sad. 

"So..." He hovered his gloved hand in front of the wooded button.

_It looks so tempting..._

"The button's right there." He paused, "This is- if I'm ever gonna press it, it's now."

Anger bubbled up inside him, "And the thing that I made this nation for, doesn't _exist anymore_!" He shouted.

"The- the thing I worked towards doesn't exist anymore!" The man frustratedly put a hand through his hair, "It's over." His hand lightly touched the button, he's going to press down in _three, two, on-_

"What are you doing?"

Wilbur's heart skipped a beat.

He drew his hand back, "Phil?"

"What are you doing?" The man repeated calmly.

"Phil, where a-are you?" He called out, turning to face the door.

"I'm coming to where you are, right now." His father said over the coms.

"Wait- what.. you- how? You- this is-"

"I'm sneaking in."

"What do you mean you're 'sneaking in'?" Will said with a stifled laugh, "Do I need to come get you from the borderlands?"

"It's taking me a while..."

Wilbur's hands started shaking, "I'm not- I'm- I wasn't doing anything. We just made Tubbo president!" He smiled nervously, "We um, we made Tubbo president, we made him president and we won! We won the war, Schlatt's gone, Schlatt's gone, Phil." The son rambled.

"Uh huh," He nodded as Wilbur continued to babble on, "Uh huh, so you are where exactly now?"

"In _L'Manburg_ ," It took the man longer than he wished to to get the country's name out, "In the area, you would know. I don't think you've been here, but it's the _area_ on L'Manburg- It's complicated... it's ge- geography and that!"

_Why the fuck did he say that?_

"You know it's- it's-" He took a deep intake of breath, "It's geography and stuff and-" Fireworks shot off around him, making him lightly jump.

His eyes widened, "Phil."

"Mhm." Phil stood in front of him with crossed arms by the inside of the cave.

The disappointed look in his father's eyes tore him apart. Although Wilbur was taller and now an adult, his Dad's stare made him feel like an anxious child again, "Uh..."

"Yeah. It's 'in L'manburg' you said."

"The- the, this _is_ L'Manburg." Phil walked over to him, standing opposite, "Okay, I will admit... do you know what this button is?" He might as well carry on, his father is here now. He's going to do it whether he's here or not, it just might be harder this way.

"Uh huh, I do."

He took a breath again, "Have you heard the- the song on the walls before? Have you heard the song?" Phil looked like he was going to say something, but he carried on anyway, "I was just saying to myself, I made this big point an it was _poignant_ , and it was the- it's um,"

_FUCK, stop stuttering! It's **blowing** the cover! _

"There _was_ a special place where men could go, but there's not anymore, you know? It's not-"

"It _is_ there." The man kept his voice soft and calm so he could try and calm down his shaking son, "You've just- you've just won it back, Will."

" **Phil** , I'm always _so close_ to pressing this button, Phil!" He shouted, grabbing at his hair, the tears came out, "I have been- I have been here like seven or eight times, I have been here seven or eight times!"

The father sighed, reaching out to Will who just walked away.

"Oh they're gonna come and- ugh, I need to block this off." 

Quickly, Wilbur blocked off the entrance with some spare black-stone he had on him, "I don't want them in here- I don't want them in here." 

Phil laughed nervously. He never thought it would come to this.

The father imagined Technoblade doing something like this, mass murder, maybe even genocide. He wouldn't imagine Tommy doing something like this, but he expected him to do something mischievous that leads to something big by accident. Wilbur however, he would never have thought he would do something like this. Wilbur would pick music over fights, and adventures over wars. Why didn't someone tell him that his son was struggling sooner? 

"Phil, I've been here so many times... they're fighting, they're fighting!" Wilbur shouted with a hard to read expression on his face. Phil put a hand on his shoulder.

"Any you just want to blow it up?" Phil was dreading the answer.

His son took a deep breath, _"I do_. I think."

"You fought so hard to get this land back, so hard." 

Tears pooled in Will's eyes again, "I don't even know if it works anymore, Phil. I don't even know if the button works, I could-" For a minute Phil swore he sore red in his son's eyes, "I could press it and it might..." His eyes darted frantically between his hand and the button.

"Do you really want to take that risk?" Wilbur stared at him, "There is a lot of TNT potentially connected to that button."

"Phil. There was a saying, Phil. Can these bloody fireworks shut up?- Ugh, Phil, there was a saying, uh, by a traitor, uh- once part of L'Manburg."

Worry and doubt pooled in Philza's stomach, "A traitor, I don't know if you've heard of Eret."

"Yeah?"

"He had a saying, Phil..." Wilbur turned to face the button, eyes swimming with crimson hints. A small smile appeared on his face, not mixing well with the tears that fell out of his eyes, "It was never meant to be." 

The button was pushed by a gloved hand, Phil's eyes widened, "Oh my God. You didn't-"

Explosions wracked through the country, shaking the floor. As soon as the stone was broken, Wilbur fell to the ground by impact. The father quickly ran over, protecting his son. He surrounded him in a hug. Will shook his head as tears fell further down his cheeks, he hugged his dad back tightly.

"Ohhhh my God!" Phil shouted standing up and walking to the edge of the newly made cliff. His son followed in pursuit, slightly behind "Will, it's all gone!" He looked at his son who just carried on staring straight ahead.

"Ah, my L'Manburg, Phil! My unfinished symphony, forever unfinished!" Will exclaimed, his eyes red. He opened his arms wide to take it all in. The smell of fire, the look of absolute destruction, even the the taste of ash, "If I can't have this, _no one_ can, Phil!"

"Oh my God." Phil repeated in disbelief.

"Kill me, Phil. Phil, kill me." A crazed and anxious look was in Wilbur's eyes as he threw an enchanted diamond sword onto the floor, "Phil, kill me."

Phil's heart dropped, he can't- he _cannot_ kill his son.

"Phil, stab me with the sword, murder me now. Kill- kill me now... Kilza!" He raised his voice with an empty laugh.

"Kilza!" He repeated, it was the wrong time for jokes, but he was glad that Will tried, "Do it. Kill me, Phil. Murder me- look they all want you too!" 

In front of the two, the remaining members of L'Manburg looked at them in shock.

"Do it, Phil. _Kill me_." Will gripped his hair.

He had never seen Wilbur this desperate.

Was it because he was under pressure? The man had never worked well under it, but Phil was sure that the people didn't actually want him dead.

"You're _my son_!" The father shouted back.

"Phil, kill me."

"No matter what you do, no matter what you've done, I can't-" 

"Phil, this isn't- it's, look, _look_!" Phil glanced to the side, not wanting to see it anymore, "How much work went into this and now it's gone."

The dad looked at all of the citizens, " _Do it_."

"Do it-" Wilbur's words stopped short as he felt an agonising, burning pain through his stomach. Tears filled his eyes as he looked down and the blood-covered sword being pulled out of his torso, "D-Dad." He whispered, his knees buckled. Phil was quick to catch him though, hugging him on his way down.

“God, you couldn’t just let- you couldn’t just win, you had to just throw your toys out the pram.” Phil said, laughing lightly.

The men stayed on the floor, "I'm sorry- so fucking sorry."

"Wilbur it's okay-" He tried to calm the dying man down.

" _No_." Will strained, "I-It's not okay!" He shouted, ending up coughing blood painfully. He turned his head as much as he could and spat it out, "I-I should've just stopped... I shouldn't have-" The man sobbed, as Phil hugged him tighter, "D-Dad I'm scared."

The father's heart shattered, "It's okay, Will. I-I'm here with you. I'm not leaving." Tears ran freely down his cheeks.

"C-Can you sing me t-that song as I go?" He asked, tightening his grip on his dad's arms.

"Of course," He agreed with a smile. Wilbur had to see something positive as he left, and if a smile was the only thing he could manage, then that was enough.

_"Tomorrow is another day_   
_And when the night fades away"_

Wilbur closed his eyes, snuggling his head into the crook of his father's neck.

_"You'll be a man, boy!_   
_But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!"_

That's just what he did, Wilbur ran away.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea of what the nightmares came from is when Wilbur said he had sleep paralysis in a very old video.  
> ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC5XjSg0aOI )  
> He said they were blacked out figures with red eyes and because I would never be able to write about his experiences correctly, I made them into nightmares instead.
> 
> I think I might make more things with Phil being a dad in a series.  
> ^^I have now, The Fundamentals of Fathering.
> 
> Thank for reading; hope you enjoyed!


End file.
